


Fights Like These

by jugandbettsdetectiveagency



Series: Save Me This Dance [3]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, College!Bughead, F/M, Fighting, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Makeup Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 05:24:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10713096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jugandbettsdetectiveagency/pseuds/jugandbettsdetectiveagency
Summary: The only fight they'd ever had that caused Betty to have doubts about their future.





	Fights Like These

Betty swept the dishcloth over the same spot on the work surface despite there being any dirt there for about the fifth time, hovering nervously around the apartment she shared with Jughead as the clock ticked closer towards ten. There was an uncomfortable tightness in her chest that had been building for the past few days. Things had been difficult lately. They were both coming up to their last finals before graduation and Jughead had told Betty to cut back her hours at the flower shop she’d been working in for the past few years, telling her to take the part-time internship she’d been offered instead. 

“Betts, we’ll be fine, I’ll pick up some more shifts at the diner. This is a great opportunity for you,” he’d told her earnestly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I want you to get everything you deserve.” She sighed as he kissed her forehead. She wanted to tell him that money was tight, that they’d both agreed to do their bit to get them through college, that he had finals too and it wouldn’t be fair to jeopardise his education. But she knew he wouldn’t listen, that he’d give up anything to make sure she had it all - his selflessness was one of the many reasons why she loved him so deeply.

But lately there had been a tension between them, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Sure, they had their fair share of disagreements, but this? She couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong so she didn’t know how to fix it. 

It was nearing two hours past the time Jughead was due home and she chewed on her bottom lip in worry, uneasy feeling gnawing away at the pit of her stomach. She jumped at the sound of a key in the door, rising from where she had perched on the edge of their worn sofa and quickly walking over to grab the dishcloth, swiping at that same spot once more. 

“Jug?” she called out eventually when no greeting floated through the apartment. 

“Hi, Betts,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes as he bypassed her and went straight to the sink, grabbing a glass of water and downing it. 

“Everything alright?” she asked, voice timid. She’d never felt like this around him before, like she was walking barefoot over glass. They’d prided themselves, when they first started out, on being the only two they could be sure told the truth to each other while surrounded by the lies and deceit that flooded their hometown of Riverdale. This new dynamic was foreign, leaving a sour taste in her mouth, one she thought she’d experienced years before…

He stood stock still, hands gripping the edge of the worktop, eyes not meeting her own. “Fine.” She knit her brows at his clipped answers. His head was downcast but she caught a glimpse of the dark circles under his clear blue eyes, sucking the youth out of his usually cheerful demeanour. 

“Are you sure? Maybe we should cut back your hours again, and I could pick up some more. This new arrangement is too much for you and it’s not fair…” she began, voice laced with concern. 

“I said I’m fine, Betty.” She blanched at his blunt tone. They didn’t do this, they didn’t treat each other this way. She bristled, eyes hardening as she clenched her fists. She felt the long-forgotten feeling of sharp nails digging into barely visible crescent shaped scars. She wasn’t scared anymore, she was pissed.

“Well clearly you’re not,” she thundered, trying to keep the betraying wobble from her voice. “You come home, late I might add, dragging a storm cloud above your head! You’ll barely look at me, let alone speak to me…”

“I’m tired, Betty. I was working. We need money, remember? So we can live here, so you can do your internship,” he bit out, sounding too much like an accusation to her, turning to look directly at Betty. She started - his eyes were troubled, swimming with something hidden that didn’t quite match the blazing facade he was throwing at her now. 

“I never asked you to do that! We’re supposed to be in this together, Jughead, a team,” she paused, coming round to place her hands at his waist, hoping some contact would melt his cold exterior. “Just you and me, Juggie, remember?” Her hand brushed his jacket pocket, rustling it’s contents. He jerked away from her sharply, watching her with wide eyes as her mouth dropped open in shock, hurt colouring her features. It was gone in a flash, steel replacing it as she lunged forward.

“What are you hiding, Jug?” she asked, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes as a million scenarios ran through her head. 

“Betty, just leave it-” His protests were in vain as she yanked the offending paper out of his pocket, turning away in fear of him snatching it back, and straightened out the crumpled document. Her lips quivered as she read, hearing Jughead’s defeated sigh echo from behind her.

“It’s from your dad? He… he’s asking for money,” she whispered, sympathy pouring from her. “Oh, Juggie-”

“Don’t. Don’t pity me, not you, Betts.” His eyes were cold again. 

“Jughead I’m not, I-” she huffed out a breath. “I just want to help, you could have told me, we could have fixed this together,” she pleaded desperately. 

“No! That’s just it, Betty, we can’t. You think you can fix anything but it doesn’t work like that. Contrary to all the songs and all the movies the two of us, together, we don’t have some sort of special power to fix the whole world’s problems,” he muttered sarcastically. Her eyes watered but she blinked back the tears furiously.

“Don’t patronise me, Jughead. I’m not stupid, I don’t want to fix the whole world. I’m not asking for that - I want to help you, because I love you,” her voice faltered as she felt the distance between them, not just across the room from each other, widening. A silence settled over them, pressing on Betty’s chest and threatening to suffocate her. He shook his head, blowing out an almost incredulous laugh.

“I’m not sure that’s enough.” He turned on his heel and was out of the door before the sob broke through her lips. 

She didn’t know how long she stood there, sobs wracking her frame, before she made her way to their bed, curling up on her side, face buried in Jughead’s pillow. She’d known that something wasn’t right but she didn’t think it would come to this. Was this it? The thought made her stomach churn. 

She tossed and turned, tangling herself up in their sheets, body drained and mind exhausted while the blissful freedom of sleep evaded her. Her ears pricked at every sound, every creak and every click that came from their old building, dragging her back from the edge every time she almost made it to slumber. Her eyes stung, head pounding, making the world too bright and unfocused. The passing numbers on the clock burned themselves into her mind each time one changed and still she was alone. 

A little before four the keys sounded in the door. She jumped up, rushing to the doorway of their room before stopping herself. She didn’t know which man would be coming home to her, didn’t even know if she wanted any of them. He trudged in, shoulders hunched, red-rimmed eyes illuminated by the lamps Betty hadn’t even had the energy to turn off earlier. 

“Betts, I-” He took a step forward and her hand shot up, warning him not to come closer. He faltered, inching back slightly. “I’m so sorry.” Her breathing was ragged, head spinning. 

“I… How could you say those things to me, Jughead. After all we’ve been through, together and apart, how could you come in here and not-” Her voice hitched and he closed his eyes at the sound, pain stirring in his chest at causing the distrustful look in her eyes. She looked a mess, hair matted, eyes wild, their brightness not one of their usual joy. 

“I’m so sorry, Betty. I was an idiot, I just… I didn’t want you to see that I was still tied to him, that he still had that power over me,” he lamented, eyes pleading for forgiveness. They were drifting towards each other now, neither of them noticing the magnetic force between them, one that would always pull them back to together. “I thought I could just make some extra money with a couple more hours, send it back to him without you knowing. But then I couldn’t help this guilt that just kept building up. That this was our money, our future that I was putting on the line, for him, again.”

“Is that really what you think of me? That I would…” she scrambled for the right words, “judge you for trying to help your family? How dare you! I know you, Jughead. I’ve known you practically all your life. I’ve given every last bit of myself to you and you can’t even-” They were face to face now, barely a breath between their bodies. She bought a hand up, hitting him lightly in the chest. He swayed but didn’t move away from her, ready to take whatever punishment she thought he deserved. She repeated her action until her tiny fists were pummelling his chest gently, their force having no effect on Jughead as she vented her frustrations. He took it all, willingly. “You’re an idiot, Forsythe Jones, and you’re a coward, a stubborn, foolish coward!” His arms came up to encircle her in his hold, halting her frantic movements. She broke, collapsing into his chest as a new wave a sobs - relieved sobs - poured forth. She tried to get her erratic breathing under control, wanting to get the words out. “You’re the bravest, most selfless person I know, I couldn’t do this without you, don’t you ever do that again.” He shushed her, soothing hands stroking her hair as they rocked back and forth in the gentle glow of the rising sun. 

“I won’t, I won’t, I won’t, I promise.” She looked up at him with tear stained cheeks, searching his features briefly before pulling his lips to her in a desperate kiss. His brow furrowed as the pain of never feeling this again, what he came so close to, washed over him, forcing tears to fall from under closed eyelids. Her hands fisted in his hair, tugging until a groan rumbled from deep inside his chest. His hands clutched so frantically at her hips she thought he’d leave marks. She wanted to be marked, possessed, anything to let them both know that this was it, they would always be it. 

He walked her back towards their bedroom, stopping briefly to push her up against the wall, lips trailing down her neck, sucking a deliciously painful bruise over her thumping pulse. “I love you, Betty. I love you so much,” he got out between frenzied kisses, moving his lips back to hers to swallow the intoxicating moans she let fall freely. 

He took his time, memorising every inch of her familiar body as if he’d never seen it before, as if this was the last time he’d ever see it. Her smooth, tan skin, the dark pink blush that travelled all the way down between her firm breasts, the dip in her collarbone, the way the muscles in her stomach clenched as he moved lower down her body, basking in the heat between her thighs. His heart broke at every tiny mewl that slipped from between her lips as he coaxed her towards the edge, begging with his touch for her to feel every apology he could never say. 

They lay together, light sheen coating both their skins, limbs tangled irretrievably with one another, clutching at their lifeline. 

“I’ll never hurt you again, I promise,” he whispered into her hair as they drifted off into a peaceful sleep, now they were back in each other’s arms. “Do you believe me?” He had to know. There was a beat where he thought she was already dreaming before her voice floated through the darkness, carrying with it the sweetest words he’d ever had the privileged to hear.

“I believe you, Jughead.”


End file.
